Walmart heir Olivia Walton didn’t get the postpartum care she needed. Now, she’s investing $100M to halve the U.S. maternal mortality rate in 5 years

Olivia Walton, heiress to the Walmart fortune, is using her family’s wealth to address the pressing issue of maternal mortality in the United States. Through her nonprofit, Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America, Walton has pledged $100 million over the next five years to halve the country’s maternal mortality rate. Speaking at Fortune’s annual Most Powerful Women conference, Walton emphasized that her personal experience as a mother of three children underscored the inadequacies in postpartum care she received from her home state of Arkansas, where maternal mortality rates are alarmingly high.

Arkansas, along with Kansas, will each receive $10 million from the foundation to bolster its maternal health infrastructure. Walton advocates for a multi-faceted approach, leveraging storytelling, advocacy, coalition-building, and grant-making to drive change. She stressed the need for improved political will, awareness, and access to essential medical care.

However, Walton cautioned that the $100 million pledge alone will not suffice and called for bolstering the maternal health workforce with more midwives and doulas. Additionally, she urged employers to enhance their pregnancy and postpartum benefits, arguing that it is a smart business decision.